What EUDR is, and how Origin Diligence helps you cover the plot work.
Start here if EUDR still feels unclear. This page explains the regulation in plain language, why it matters, what ERP and TRACES are, and how Origin Diligence helps you collect plots and manage suppliers. After that, it shows the exact sequence to use the product.
What EUDR is
EUDR is the EU Deforestation Regulation. It is EU law, not a voluntary scheme.
The official text is Regulation (EU) 2023/1115. It applies to listed commodities and many products made from them when they are placed on the EU market or exported from it. The company that first places those products on the market, or exports them, must carry out due diligence and keep a file that can be checked later.
Deforestation-free
The products must not come from land deforested after the cutoff date. Forest degradation is also in scope for wood.
Produced legally
The products must have been produced in line with relevant laws in the country of production, including land-use and labour rules that apply there.
Traceable to the plot
You must know where the relevant commodity was produced. For EUDR that means geolocation of the production area, not only the supplier’s office address.
Derived products such as chocolate, leather, furniture or tyres can also be in scope when they contain these commodities.
Why this matters
EUDR is a market-access rule. If you place in-scope products on the EU market, or export them, you need due diligence before the goods move.
You cannot skip the statement
Operators submit a due diligence statement in the EU Information System before placing relevant products on the market or exporting them. Without that step, the shipment is not ready under the regulation.
Authorities can check the file
Competent authorities review operators. In the Netherlands that is often the NVWA. They can ask for the due-diligence information and the plot locations behind a shipment.
Weak plot data blocks everything else
Risk assessment and the statement both depend on knowing the production area. If the plot file is missing, wrong or unusable, the rest of the work cannot be finished.
Suppliers stay part of the job
New producers, new plots and corrected outlines keep arriving. EUDR is not a one-off form. You need a way to collect, review and follow up with suppliers over time.
Current dates and record keeping
Products must be deforestation-free after the cutoff of 31 December 2020.
The main application date is 30 December 2026.
For micro and small operators, the application date is 30 June 2027.
Due-diligence records are expected to be kept for 5 years.
Micro and small operators already covered by the EU Timber Regulation follow the main application date.
The due-diligence process, from the beginning
The regulation asks for a repeatable sequence. Origin Diligence covers the plot and supplier steps. You remain the operator, and you file the statement in TRACES.
Confirm you are in scope
Check the commodity, the product, and your role. An operator is usually the company that first places the product on the EU market or exports it. Traders have lighter duties, but large traders can still have substantial obligations.
Identify the suppliers behind the goods
List who produced or supplied the relevant commodity. An ERP can tell you the commercial supplier. EUDR also needs the production place, which is often a farm or forest plot rather than a warehouse.
Collect plot locations
Ask each producer for the production area. EUDR needs geolocation: a point for small plots, and a drawn outline for larger plots. This is the evidence Origin Diligence is built to collect and check.
Assess deforestation and legality risk
Use the plot information, country context and other supply-chain evidence to assess whether risk is more than negligible. Technical screening can support this review. It does not replace your assessment.
Reduce risk if it is not negligible
Ask for a better plot file, more documents, or a different lot. Do not place the product on the market until the remaining risk is negligible under your own due-diligence process.
Submit the statement in TRACES
File a due diligence statement in the EU Information System, which runs on TRACES. That filing is your legal declaration, not Origin Diligence’s.
Keep the records
Store the due-diligence information, plot files and statement references so you can show them if an authority asks. Origin Diligence keeps a technical record with the batch. You still keep your own operator file.
What ERP is
ERP means Enterprise Resource Planning. It is your company’s internal business system.
An ERP is the software many firms already use to run purchasing, stock, invoices and supplier master data. Common examples are SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Exact and Oracle. It answers commercial questions: who you bought from, what was ordered, and when it ships.
- It holds supplier names, purchase orders, invoices and shipment records.
- It is usually not built to store farm outlines, plot coordinates or deforestation screening.
- A supplier record in ERP is not the same as an EUDR production plot.
What TRACES is
TRACES is the European Commission’s Trade Control and Expert System. People sometimes shorten it to TRACE.
For EUDR, the relevant part is the EUDR Information System, which runs on the TRACES platform. This is the official EU website where operators and their authorised representatives create and submit due diligence statements, and where allowed, simplified declarations.
- TRACES is a Commission system. It is not Origin Diligence, and it is not your ERP.
- The due diligence statement is filed there before relevant products are placed on the market or exported.
- You sign in with EU Login. Competent authorities can use the same system to check statements.
How Origin Diligence helps you cover this
The regulation needs plot locations, a way to review them, and a supplier process you can repeat. That is the work Origin Diligence is built for.
Collect plots from suppliers
Send a collection link. Producers draw the production area on a phone-friendly map, or upload a file they already have. They do not need an account.
Check whether the file can be used
Technical checks explain missing fields, unusable locations and geometry problems in plain language, so the supplier knows what to fix.
Review screening signals early
See which plots need a closer look before a shipment is at risk. A screening signal is a prompt for review, not a legal verdict.
Manage suppliers over time
Keep a producer register, see who has returned usable plots, and prepare follow-up that you send through your own channel. Coverage does not email suppliers for you.
Keep a technical record
Checks, recorded repairs, sources and file fingerprints stay with the batch. Download that record into your own due-diligence file. Origin Diligence is not the operator archive.
We do not assess your full legal risk or connect to your ERP. When you transmit a statement, we use your own TRACES credentials. You remain the operator.
How to use Origin Diligence
Once EUDR is clear, the remaining work is practical. Use Origin Diligence for plots and suppliers. Transmit the due diligence statement in TRACES with your own stored credentials, or download the geolocation file and upload it yourself.
Create a workspace
Sign in and open a workspace for your company, or a separate client workspace if you are a consultancy.
Add the suppliers
Start with one producer, or import a supplier list in Coverage. This is the EUDR supplier set, not a replacement for ERP purchasing records.
Collect the plots
Send a collection link so the producer can draw the production area, or use a file you already have. The same plot should be easy to capture and easy to check.
Review the batch
Open the evidence batch. Read what failed in plain language and see which screening signals need a decision. Ask for a correction while there is still time.
Recheck after a correction
When a supplier returns a better outline, run the check again. Keep reviewing as new plots arrive, rather than treating EUDR as a single upload.
Keep the record, then file in TRACES
Download the technical record into your due-diligence file. You can transmit the due diligence statement from Origin Diligence using your own TRACES credentials, or use the checked plot data when you file in TRACES yourself. You remain the operator.
Official sources
Dates and duties on this page follow these official publications. Open a source to read the current text. This Academy is a practical explanation, not legal advice.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115
The legally binding EUDR text on EUR-Lex, including definitions, operator duties, geolocation and record keeping.
European Commission EUDR implementation
The Commission overview of application dates, in-scope commodities, roles and implementation resources.
Commission page on deforestation-free products
Policy context for the regulation on deforestation-free products, kept by the Directorate-General for Environment.
EUDR Information System on TRACES
Commission guide to the Information System used to create and submit due diligence statements.
NVWA: EUDR controls
Dutch competent-authority page on EUDR controls, including the expected record-keeping period used in this product.